[at-l] Hygiene on the Trail

[Amy Forinash]

On Oct 4, 2008, at 12:29 PM, Georgiamountainwoman wrote:

>
> I know it has been said that the way you can tell a thru-hiker by a  
> day hiker is by how they smell.  Instead of hiking in winter, after  
> all your input, I've decided to go the traditional route and start  
> in spring.  So this means a lot of hiking in hot weather.  A lot of  
> perspiration.  How does a woman keep clean and her hair washed ?   
> I've washed my hair in rivers before, but I know there is not a  
> convenient river around on the trail every time your hair needs  
> washing.  What do you do ?  My hair is mid way down my back and I  
> can't bare the thoughts of cutting it off to hike the trail.  What  
> do other women do to keep their hair clean during their journey ?

A hiker friend of mine with long hair would wash and braid her hair  
just before leaving the house, and the hair in the braid stayed pretty  
clean.  If you can handle leaving your hair braided that long it's a  
good option.  (i.e. the days in between town stays / showers)

If you're going to thruhike you're going to have to deal with a higher  
level of sweat and dirt than you do at home.  The good news is you'll  
be too tired to care at first.  And then you'll get used to it so it  
won't so much matter.

> Also, you can't carry much of a wardrobe while hiking, so how does  
> one keep their clothes clean ?  If you continue to wear dirty  
> clothes, doesn't all the germs in your clothes reabsorb into your  
> skin ?  If you carry a minimal amount of clothes, do you wash them  
> in a stream ?  Will they even let you, even if you use biodegradable  
> soap like Dr. Bronners ?  How long does it take them to dry ?  How  
> many of you have hiked in wet clothes ?  This wouldn't bother me if  
> the weather was quite warm.   But in cooler weather, wearing wet  
> clean clothes to me would be a problem.

If you feel the need to wash clothes between town stops, you can use  
the ziplock method.  Get a few liters of water and go well away from  
the water source.  Put one or two clothing items in a gallon size  
ziplock, a couple of drops of soap, and a little (~1/2 liter) water.   
Shake vigorously.  Dump out that water, add more, do it again.  Keep  
doing that until the water stays clear.

I don't bother with this unless I get my clothes really muddy, for   
the most part.  Drying is a big issue unless you have a long time to  
stop somewhere and a good sunny spot to hang your clothes.

I dislike hiking in regular wet shorts because they chafe.  (Which is  
part of the reason I use stretch shorts.)  The rest of the wet clothes  
are fine (and a constant, because they get damp from my sweat every  
day.)

FWIW, I carry this for clothing:  1 capilene one tshirt.  1 pair  
duofold stretch shorts.  1 bra. 1 pair underwear.  1 powerstretch  
fleece top. 1 powerstretch fleece long bottoms.  1 down vest.  2 pairs  
liner socks.  2 pairs thick socks.  1 pair powerstretch gloves.  1  
warm hat.  1 windshirt.  1 rainskirt.  1 short poncho.  1 neck  
gaiter.  That's it.  One set of clothes for every day, one spare set  
of socks, and some cold/wet weather gear.

> Toilet Paper.  Have any of you, while hiking on the trail, run out  
> of TP ?  Does using leaves really do the trick ?  Also, how do you  
> "wash" your hands, if not by a stream ?  What if you run out of wet  
> wipes ?  Or choose not to carry them because of the added weight ?

I've run out of TP before.  Leaves are better than nothing.  Actually,  
let me restate that.

Leaves, being non-absorbent, are useless for urine.  Better to splash  
yourself with a handful of water, which you have carried with you to  
your potty stop.  Leaves work okay but not great for heinie cleaning.   
It is vital that you use the right leaves.  Be able to identify  
poisonous or stinging plants before you try picking leaves that you're  
going to rub on your tender parts.  Dried leaves will tend to shred  
and stick to you.

I advise you to get a copy of "How to Shit in the Woods."  Very good  
and useful reading.

I don't carry wet wipes.  I carry small bottles of Purell, and I use  
it on my hands after every potty stop and any other time my hands feel  
nasty.  Also good to apply if you think you've touched poison ivy.  It  
will help a lot in the armpit odor area.  Do not, however, use it on  
your more personal heinie areas.  You will regret it for several  
minutes if you do.

The ubiquitous bandana is good for daily cleanup.  I carry at least  
two, one of is dedicated  to daily cleaning of me.

-amy